The Path of Least Resistance
by mymotherisacylon
Summary: InoSakura  Shoujoai  Sakura leaves Konoha to find herself a mentor, hoping to one day become a famous and powerful ninja. However, during her travels she is intercepted by Ino, who eventually teaches her that life isn't all about fame and fortune. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own the rights to Naruto. Enjoy!**

_**The Path of Least Resistance**_

_Chapter One_

If she had known from the beginning that things would turn out like this, she would have given up her dreams of achieving full status as a respected ninja and stayed at home. She would have lived her life to be a village woman, perhaps some day the housewife of a humble farmer, raising her children among the peaceful, rural scene of Konoha Village. She would have lived a full life, restful and surrounded by the love of her friends and neighbors and family, never to be famous or respected but happy all the same. She certainly wouldn't be lying on the forest floor, broken and bleeding and alone, or exhausted, starving, and with night fast approaching.

However, as difficult as the facts were the face, that's exactly where she was. She had been careless and foolish, and now she was paying for it. Her friends had moved on to bigger and better things, just as she had attempted to do, but she'd failed miserably thus far. No, her friends were long gone; the only one to comfort her now was a curious night owl, hooting into dusk with it's never ending question. This caused her to chuckle ironically. "Who indeed?" She said to the owl. Her tone took on a more rhetorical note as she echoed the question in a different manner, "Who am I?"

She was Haruno Sakura, top of her class, a chuunin destined to become something more - or, so she'd planned. It was true that she was very talented, a young woman in her prime, but Sakura was beginning to believe she was destined for something much less. Perhaps those dreams were simply delusions of grandeur, her hopes to become a Hokage nothing but a silly idea that would always drift just out of her reach. After all, Uzumaki Naruto had dreamed of it long before she even considered, and he was certainly more capable than she. Sakura sighed in her self pity, turning her head to rest her soft cheek against the dirt-covered, forest floor. To admit that Naruto was better than she was a difficult blow to her pride, however bruised it already was. After all, not many chuunin could be so easily caught off guard by a mere pack of wolves. Oh yes, it was true; Sakura had been traveling through the forest when she happened upon the dangerous canines, who instantly felt threatened, and she was soon overwhelmed by their strength. As dangerous as they were, they should've been nothing for a chuunin, yet she was easily defeated. It was embarrassing, and - dare she say - outright pathetic.

As the cloak of night settled over the deep forest, the usual sounds of darkness soon followed: the music of crickets, joined by the chorus of other insects, the occasional rustling of nocturnal creatures, the night owl's eternal question. Who? That's right, that question she had not yet answered. Who was she? Or had she even expected the answer? Perhaps the more appropriate question at the moment was who she _wanted_ to _become_. Easy enough. She wanted to be a great ninja, famous and loved, a Hokage. Alright, question answered. Now, next question: how did she intend on reaching that goal? Sakura stirred slightly, wincing against the pain of her aching muscles, before forcing herself to sit upright. She gathered a clump of fresh earth between her fingers and squeezed, gripping her fist around the black dirt in sudden determination. That's right, that had been her original goal, the reason she left Konoha: to find a powerful mentor who would further her training as a ninja so she could eventually achieve her dream. Now there was only one last question: what was she waiting for?

Sakura slowly clambered to her feet, fighting off her fatigue and the pain streaming through her nervous system, her new-found motivation more than enough to push aside whatever discomfort she felt. It would do her no good to sprawl out on the forest floor all night, feeling sorry for herself and waiting for someone to come along and help her. It was time to take care of herself. Clenching her jaw, Sakura focused her emerald gaze on the path ahead, suddenly filled with an uplifted spirit that could defy any means of physical hampering. Several strands of her deep, cherry blossom-colored hair were strewn messily across her forehead, giving her a ruffled but tough appearance. Suddenly, her beaten and bleeding countenance made her appear stronger as opposed to weaker, and she felt it. It was time.

Before she could change her mind and once more dissuade herself, Sakura began marching down the moon-lit path, her pace full of purpose.

--

The next few days were painfully uneventful. Sakura had been prepared to take on an army, and her motivation thirsted for constant fuel to keep her from changing her mind. She needed action! A purpose! But the forest was fairly peaceful, and despite the occasional wolf, there was nothing potentially dangerous. This frustrated Sakura beyond belief. Spending her days merely wandering the path allowed her too much time to think, and drew her closer and closer to aborting her personal mission. She had no companions, no mentor, not even a rival - what motivation could she muster out in the middle of nowhere?

Sakura pondered these things as she crouched by a glistening spring of clear water, pausing in her thoughts only so she could dip her hand into the fresh pool and draw out enough to drink. She was utterly alone, and constantly craved someone to fight, or even a simple conversation would do. In the Ninja Academy at Konoha, she had always been a social butterfly, and though she had given up her pristine lifestyle so she could focus more on being a ninja, she stilled missed some aspects of her previous life. She missed companionship.

The young ninja's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rustling in a tree behind her, and she immediately whipped around, kunai drawn and gripped dangerously between her fingers. Still crouched but far more alert, Sakura scowled into the trees around her, which were eerily quiet all of the sudden. "Who's there?" She demanded, her cold-slate gaze picking apart the leaves one by one so she could pinpoint the intruder's location. "Show yourself!" She commanded, rising to her feet, one fist clenched and the other still gripping her kunai. No response. The trees were peacefully silent against the foliage background around her. She scowled again. Something wasn't right, but there was little she could do without being able to find her follower. For now, she would simply have to tolerate the presence of a stalker, and press on.

The rest of the day passed with little interest, despite the fact that she was still very aware of her follower, and soon nighttime ebbed into the forest with an eerie calmness. Sakura felt very much like she was in the calm before the storm, and a strong sense of foreboding suspense settled on her shoulders for the rest of the night. She'd made camp and took care to remain alert, but it did nothing for her nerves. The next morning, she woke to a cloudy day full of heavy humidity and an even heavier cloud of suspense in the air. Whatever was going to happen, she wanted to happen soon.

By mid-afternoon, Sakura was sure her follower was getting careless. The rustling sounds in the trees came with more frequency, and every now and then she caught the glimpse of a foot or a piece of fabric disappearing between the foliage. Her narrowed gaze often hounded her intruder, though she knew not where they hid, but she kept her silence until the right moment occurred. The heavy humidity had lifted with the sun, as did her suspenseful unease. Was this a ninja from an opposing continent, waiting for the right moment to strike? Was she going to die soon? This could be her final moments of life...

Sakura swallowed nervously, her emerald eyes flitting back and forth between the wall of trees on either side of the path she walked. Perhaps it was a spy, hoping to capture her and interrogate her on important matters. Or maybe she was going to be a prisoner of war, soon to be tortured and locked away until the end of her days! Whatever bravado and motivation she'd felt earlier was immediately dissipated, and she suddenly felt very afraid. She grimaced worriedly, glancing around with increasing alarm. What could she do against an opponent she could not see?

The young ninja quickened her pace, her heartbeat speeding up at the prospect of lifelong torture. She was only fifteen! Surely even an enemy of Konoha would take that into account and spare her life. But she knew this was foolishness. The way of the ninja knew no bounds, and enemies were enemies. The age of that enemy did not matter. If they found her and saw it necessary to terminate her life, they would not hesitate to do so. _Oh, I can't die now!_ Sakura thought desperately, her pace speeding up a little more. _I'm nowhere near becoming Hokage! I have so much life left to live!_

Her feet accelerated, and soon she was jogging down the path, her breathing suddenly labored. Panic streaked through the recesses of her mind, dulling her senses and causing her to break into an all out sprint. She bolted down the path, the hot wind rushing past her sweating face, her lungs sucking in air and exhaling in tiny whimpers. Strands of pale red hair whipped about her wildly as she dashed down the winding path, twisting and turning her way through the forest. She could hear the rustling of the trees all around her, and knew her follower had sped up to keep pace with her. They were drawing closer now, gaining on her! What should she do?! It was hopeless! There was nothing she could do! She was done for!

A branch high in the trees ahead of her trembled underneath the weight of her stalker, and she fought back the urge to scream. He or she was right in front of her, just waiting! But it was too late now; she had been running so fast she couldn't stop quick enough. Without warning, her follower dove from the branch right at her, releasing a battle cry, ready to strike. Sakura screamed and shielded her face with her hands out of reflex, ready for the blow that would be her last. She felt the weight of her attacker collide into her own, and she crumpled to the ground in defeat, ready to receive her death. But it never came.

Sakura became immediately aware that she was now positioned on the ground, lying on her back, with a smaller person sitting right on top of her. Her eyes had been squeezed shut, so she finally relaxed enough to peek through her slitted eyelids to see the face of her attacker. Her jaw dropped.

The smirking boy gave her a triumphant thumbs-up, saying, "Yeah! You fell for it!"

"Konohamaru?!" She squeaked, her body and voice racked with surprise.

"The one and only!" He said, still proud that he had taken her down. Sakura felt a violent sting to her pride, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and anger. She shoved the boy off of her roughly, much to his protest, and she bolted upright to glare at him. Konohamaru scowled right back. "What'd yah do that for? Geez!" He cried, rubbing the back of his head sorely.

"Listen you little brat," she growled, well aware that he was twelve-years-old by now but very much still a young boy, "You got lucky, so don't pat yourself on the back just yet. You don't even have a headband." She climbed to her feet, brushing dirt off her clothes, still upset with the boy. Konohamaru stood as well, though didn't bother brushing himself off. Instead, he shot her a skeptical look, and said, "Words are easy to come by, but it all comes down to the fact that I still bested you, chuunin girl!"

Sakura shot him a heated glare. Those were wise words coming from his mouth, and they hurt a little. Mostly because they were true. "Only because I let you," she lied, waving a hand toward him dismissively, "I could have easily taken you down without a second thought." She turned away from him and started down the path again, hoping he would leave it at that and let her be alone.

"You're a bad liar." Konohamaru stated plainly, and she saw that he was now right next to her, matching her stride evenly.

Sakura did a double take, wondering how he'd caught up to her so fast, and shot him another glare. "Look," she started, "aren't you supposed to be in school right now? You shouldn't be out here."

Konohamaru shrugged dismissively, replying, "Naah, those jokers ain't gonna teach me nothin'. They don't know squat! I'm out lookin' for my boss, he's the best teacher there is!"

She rolled her eyes. "You mean you ran away so Naruto could train you?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically, his chin held high. He was very proud of being associated with Naruto.

Sakura gave him a look that was half disbelieving and half amused. "You know, Iruka is a very capable teacher. He trained Naruto, after all. Your 'boss' wouldn't be who he is today if it wasn't for Iruka-sensei."

Konohamaru shook his head, disagreeing, "Nope, the boss has natural talent. I'm sure Iruka-sensei can kick some ass if he needs to, but I want to do more than that. I want to be the next Hokage! In order to do that, I need better training."

She considered the younger ninja for a moment. His use of rude language surprised her, and he was more than a little annoying, however she had to admit that he had guts. But it took more than that. Still... she had been awfully lonely, and it wasn't her responsibility to watch over the village while she was looking for a mentor. He could hang around a while, she supposed, if he wanted to.

"Just remember, Naruto wants to become the next Hokage as well. When your training is complete, you two will be rivals. Don't forget that." She said.

He nodded, understanding, and she was surprised at how quickly he grasped onto ideas. "I know," he responded, "but I want us to stay friends as long as we can."

Sakura began to think that statement over as the two of them made their way down the long path, side by side. Rivalry was not a new experience for her, and it brought great frustration, maybe even a little pain. But then again, some of the best moments of her life were spent with her rival, who had prompted her to grow and become stronger. Though having a rival was tough, it helped a person blossom into what they could truly become. She had no doubt that, without her rival, she would have amounted to nothing thus far. Sure, she wasn't much at the moment, but at least she wasn't nothing. She had her rival to thank for that.

"Just because you become rivals doesn't mean you can't be friends." Sakura suddenly said, surprising even herself with the statement. Konohamaru looked up at her curiously, but did not reply. They walked on in silence.

It occurred to her that she had not mentioned that she also planned to be the next Hokage. It wasn't that she was embarrassed or anything, she'd just neglected to mention it. Perhaps she was so used to Konohamaru and Naruto wanting the position that she often forgot to include herself. For them it had been a lifelong dream, and for her it was a spur of the moment decision. Even so, she had no doubt that she would one day be capable of being called Hokage, and she wanted to work toward that.

"Do you have a rival?" Konohamaru suddenly blurted, bringing her back to reality.

Sakura peered at him hesitantly, uneasy by this new topic of conversation, but she nodded. "Yes. Or I did, at one point."

"Were you two friends?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

She tilted her head back thoughtfully, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Chuckling a bit, she replied, "Yeah, you could say that. We were childhood friends."

"Did you guys ever fight?"

Sakura laughed a little, amused by that notion. "When we were kids, never. But when we became rivals, all the time. We couldn't keep off of each other's throats for even a second."

Konohamaru nodded approvingly, apparently liking the idea of constant warfare between friends. "Maybe the boss an' I will be like that!" He stated happily, ready to drop the conversation.

"Maybe." She said. Somehow she doubted it.

They traveled on for a few more hours, every now and then engaging in pointless conversation, but they both enjoyed it regardless. They'd reached a mutual understanding of each other, neither wishing to travel alone, and both wandering aimlessly for a mentor that could be anywhere. Her situation was still probably worse. She was pretty sure that Naruto had gone after Uchiha Sasuke, who was being trained by the infamous Orochimaru. Wherever Naruto went, commotion followed, so she was sure it wouldn't be too hard to find him. But her situation was different... As soon as they found Naruto, her new companion would leave and she would once more be alone to wander the land for a mentor. This left her feeling depressed. Was that to be her destiny? Spending an unestimated amount of time just looking? It sounded awfully tedious, now that she thought about it. But she had little choice. This was her path.

As the calmness of night approached, they set up camp and built a small fire, where they warmed themselves and munched on the provisions she'd packed. Konohamaru was an endless supply of random questions, she soon discovered, but she really didn't mind all that much. It was better than being alone.

"How old are you?" He asked, his mouth half full of berries.

"Fifteen," She replied.

He looked her up and down skeptically, then remarked, "Ain't you supposed to be hot by now or somethin'? You're still all scrawny!"

If Sakura could shoot fire from her eyes, Konohamaru would have been quite charred by that point in time. Unfortunately, she had no such power, so she settled with a piercing scowl. "Shut the hell up." She said, no longer interested in conversation.

Despite her complaining, he went on, "Y'know, I didn't notice before, but I see it now. You have a big forehead."

Sakura tensed, fighting back the urge to cause him severe brain damage. She spoke through clenched teeth, "Listen, you little brat, if all you can do is insult me then you can just shove it - "

"What was your rival like? Did you have a crush on him?"

Again, she was caught off guard by the young ninja. He was so full of surprises, she could barely keep up with his train of thought! _What a peculiar boy_, she thought with some amusement. The anger had drained from her face, now replaced by a gentle smile. "My rival was a girl, and my feelings for her were purely of the friendship kind."

He nodded, genuinely interested for reasons unknown to her. "Was she hot?"

Sakura felt heat rush to her cheeks, and she glared at him, replying, "Now how the hell would I know?"

Konohamaru rolled his eyes, swallowing his food at last. "It was just a question, geez, don't flip out over it."

She fell silent, munching on her own food, hoping he would drop the subject. She felt uncomfortable talking much about the past, especially when it came to her rival. A lot of things had happened between them, whether she admitted it or not, that allowed her to mature greatly. She had a lot to be thankful for.

"What was her name?" Konohamaru asked, apparently still interested.

Sakura tilted her head back and closed her emerald eyes. He wasn't going to drop it. Oh well, she supposed she could talk about it for a bit. She smiled slightly, opening her eyes, which now had a far off look to them.

"Yamanaka Ino," she said, "is a name I haven't heard in quite a long time."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much to my lovely reviewers and those who added me to their story alert list. The theme song for this chapter - for the upcoming fight, anyway - is "Path" by Apocalyptica. I don't own the rights to Naruto or the song. Enjoy!**

_**The Path of Least Resistance**_

_Chapter Two_

Ino had always been a very intelligent girl. She was wise beyond her years, and some day her intelligence and wisdom would definitely take her further in life than many others. However, she was also the type of girl who certainly knew of her intelligence and didn't care to elaborate on it. Therefore, she often made foolish mistakes due to carelessness or arrogance, and still found that even the simplest of lessons were difficult for her to learn. It was as if, in the facts of life, she'd skipped right ahead to understand and learn everything that was difficult and hard for most to accept, but because she skipped the easy stuff it was all an abrupt surprise to her when she encountered them. It had also occurred to her, at some point, that other people sometimes had that same intelligence she herself possessed, if they put forth sufficient effort and had enough determination. This, too, came as a surprise to her. So, perhaps it was Ino's condescending arrogance that had driven Sakura further away, denying them both their friendship. Sakura felt uncomfortable around people who acted superior to most, since it brought back painful memories of her childhood when her self-esteem was practically nonexistent. She stayed away from her rival as often as possible.

As Sakura sat there now, cozy by the fire, food still clasped in her hand, she began to feel that maybe it was her fault. They could have remained friends if she wasn't such a coward. She had been so afraid emotionally at that point, fearing the sharp tongue and superiority of her friend, that she'd pushed her away. Yet, now that she thought about it, Ino had never once insulted her. That was putting aside the wide forehead remarks; her forehead and the meaning behind Ino's name had become a sort of affectionate squandering between the two, so she never took it personally. Aside from that, Ino had never preyed on her innocence or attempted to truly hurt her feelings, no matter how much Sakura shoved their friendship away. She pushed, and Ino had simply pushed right back. This pushing and their love for the same boy separated them inevitably, and now she wondered if it had ever been worth it.

"Geez!" Konohamaru abruptly blurted, shoving more food down his throat, "You're boring as all hell! Why don'tcha talk or somethin'?"

Sakura's hot emerald gaze stared him down ruthlessly, but he didn't seem to care. Sighing, she shook her head, knowing that he was simply trying to find out what she was thinking. "My thoughts are purely of the mundane variety, I assure you."

"Who said I wanted your thoughts? I was just sayin' that you're boring!" He remarked, rolling his eyes.

Sakura was really having to fight back that urge to end his life prematurely. She was too tired for this, and frankly, she didn't want her name in the headlines for adolescent murder. A tiny smirk tugged at her lips when she realized that would make her a famous ninja all right, albeit not in the manner she wished to achieve.

"Are you and the boss involved?" Konohamaru spurted randomly.

"Wh-what?" Sakura sputtered, immediately taken aback by his question.

"Y'know," he said, shrugging, "Are you and the boss slappin' skin? The hot beef injection? That kinda thing?"

Seconds later, Konohamaru had a large, swollen, red welt on the top of his head, which he was nursing tenderly while endlessly swearing at his attacker. Sakura sat stiffly on her side of the fire, a dark pink blush on her cheeks and neck. She scowled at him.

"Geez! What'd yah do that for? Geez, bitch!" Konohamaru went on, rubbing his sore head.

"Serves you right, you little perv!" Sakura shot back, "And if you _ever_ think that I'd let that loser Naruto lay a finger on me, you're barking up the wrong tree!"

Konohamaru was too busy complaining about the new bump on his head to hear her or even defend his idol. She could certainly pack a punch when she wanted! Several minutes passed before he settled down, though he was still angry with her. Grumbling to himself, he muttered, "The boss ain't all that bad, you just never gave him a chance."

At that statement, Sakura felt her heart immediately soften. A small pang of guilt pricked at her chest, and she lowered her gaze, newly chastised. "I guess you're right," She said, sighing, "I didn't. It's just that.. the only man in my life is - well, was Sasuke, and he's long gone now." Her tone held a hint of sadness that drew Konohamaru's curiosity, but he didn't press her to continue. He had no interest in relationships, but for some reason, he liked listening to her talk about her life.

"Where is he?" Konohamaru asked passively, pretending not to be very interested despite his obvious intrigue.

Sakura shrugged. "He went somewhere to train under Orochimaru. In fact, Naruto went after him to try and change his mind. So..." She shrugged again, "If we find your Naruto, I find my Sasuke." Well, it was true. It hadn't been her intention to seek out Sasuke; she'd given up that hobby long ago. But if she was going to be near him anyway, it wouldn't hurt to try.

"I think I remember that guy. He was cool." The boy said thoughtfully, staring up at the dark leaves above them in memory, "But I don't think he cares much about all that mushy stuff. He just likes fightin'!" As if to elaborate on his statement, he proudly punched the air a few times, a boyish smirk on his face.

Sakura's heart sank, because she knew it was true. "Yeah..."

Konohamaru's smile faded, and he peered at her with masked sympathy. Dropping his arms, he averted his eyes and mumbled dejectedly, "So it's not like it's you or anything... he just doesn't want anybody like that."

She lifted her gaze toward him in surprise at this statement, then offered him a soft smile. He was trying to cheer her up without ruining his image, she knew, but she thought it was sweet of him. "I know," she said quietly, "but I still have to try, if I'm given the chance."

--

Over the course of the next few days, they spoke little of the past and focused more on the future. Where did they want to go? What did they want to be? Sakura purposefully left out her dreams of becoming Hokage so as not to disrupt their growing friendship, but couldn't shake the guilt of her deception. It was for the greater good, right?

Through their conversations, Konohamaru revealed that Naruto was more like a brother to him than anything else. He looked up to him, and hoped one day to surpass his idol. He knew that if he surpassed the one he looked up to, he would truly be a great ninja. Sakura respected the boy for that. Despite being a little annoying, she admitted that he had goals, and determination to reach them. She had no doubt that he, too, was perfectly capable of one day becoming Hokage.

"But you can't make it on spirit alone," Sakura warned him, "You must have the strength and talent to back your words up."

Konohamaru gave her a weird look, but simply nodded. He had the feeling she had directed the advice not only to him but to herself. He had a knack of being able to see right through her.

Sakura was running out of provisions fast, so they had taken up to living off the land. She found that Konohamaru was too loud and impatient to hunt live game, so she put him in charge of collecting berries and roots for them to eat while she set up simple traps to catch animals. Over all, they weren't so bad off.

One particular day, Konohamaru asked, "Do you know where we're going?"

Sakura glanced toward him, then quietly chewed her lower lip. Finally, she answered, "Not really. But we don't exactly have a choice."

Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "Didn't any of you dimwits ever think of getting a cell phone or something? You need to stay in contact!"

Sakura stared at him in surprise for a moment, then laughed at the picture forming in her head.

He glared at her immediately. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head, still smiling broadly, and said, "The mental image of Sasuke and Naruto attempting to figure out how to use a cell phone is priceless."

Konohamaru stared at her blankly for a minute, then broke out into a wide grin. Suddenly, he squinted his eyes and feigned a scowl, holding up his hand to stare at his pretend cell phone. Imitating the high pitch of Naruto's voice, he said, "How they hell am I supposed to use this thing, dattebayo?!" He scratched the back of his head, appearing very Naruto-esque.

Sakura broke out into laughter, one arm hugging her stomach and the other pointing at him. "You look just like him!" She cried, still laughing.

Konohamaru relaxed his face and then smiled boyishly, pleased by her amusement. Once she had settled down some, he asked, "What would Sasuke do?"

"Sasuke?" She said, then smirked and thought for a minute. She pulled her face into a very serious expression, raising one hand to stare at her own pretend cell phone. After staring at it long and hard, she mumbled in a deep, male-imitated voice, "How is this thing going to help me avenge my clan? This is stupid."

Now it was Konohamaru's turn to burst into guffawing laughter, more so at Sakura's expression and voice than the imitation itself. After all, he hardly knew Sasuke, but her impersonation of a male was just too funny!

She smiled at him, glad that she had someone to be her companion on this trip. It would have been so dull without him, she had to admit.

Movement in the trees nearby caught her attention, and Sakura came to an abrupt halt. The forest became eerily quiet, devoid of any noise. No birds, no animals - nothing. She was instantly alert and halted her stride, concentrating hard on their surroundings. Something wasn't right. Konohamaru slowed to a stop, his smile fading. "What's wrong?"

Sakura looked all around her, trying to locate the source of the movement, but there was none. That unnerved her deeply. "We're not alone." Her tone was cold and unmoving, but Konohamaru sensed the fear in her voice. He scowled a little, wondering exactly why she wanted to become a great ninja so badly. She had no hope! She was supposed to be a chuunin, but she lacked the courage to protect even herself. How could he trust her to watch over him? Not that he needed anyone, but usually the adults were supposed to be protective of children. At heart, she was still just a child herself!

Konohamaru heard the movement this time, and without hesitation, pointed to the source. "There!"

Sakura tensed and instantly released a flying brigade of kunai in the direction of the noise, her ninja instincts kicking in. She saw the blades disappear into the trees and heard them hit wood, knowing either she had missed or her target had dodged. It turned out to be the latter. Two figures emerged from the thick underbrush, a couple of burly, unclean men, obviously muggers. One guy had a nasty scar over one eye, and the other's teeth were rotting. They smirked at the two ninja with anticipation; a couple of rogue teenagers would be easy prey.

"Now what's a pretty thing like you doing wandering out here all alone?" The man with the rotted teeth was speaking, and he offered her a black, semi-toothless simper. "You know it's dangerous to be out here all alone."

Sakura tensed, glaring at the man with obvious fear in her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to speak. She could feel her arms trembling, and her knees wobbled with increasing unsteadiness. Konohamaru suddenly broke in, leaping in front of Sakura protectively. He scowled at the men, pulling out two of his own kunai and gripping one in each fist with determination. "She ain't alone, yah moron! You blind or somethin'? You got me to deal with first!"

Sakura seemed to find her voice at that point, and with sudden alarm she cried, "No, Konohamaru! Step aside!"

Konohamaru peered over his shoulder at her and said, "Let me handle this. Just stay back." The intense seriousness in his tone caused her knees to lock, and she found herself obeying. She stared at him, amazed, as he turned back around to face their enemies. How did he do that? How did he put aside his fear and show such bravery when he was so young and inexperienced? Why couldn't she do that?

The man with the rotten teeth laughed heartily, quite unimpressed with the boy's show of bravado. The scarred mugger frowned at Konohamaru, unamused. He hated kids. Their ring leader, the man with bad teeth, glanced at his comrade and said, "You want the girl? I'll take care of the kid. But..." He turned back around, focusing his gaze on Sakura, where his eyes hungrily roamed to places other than her face. "When you finish her, I want a turn."

Sakura shuddered in disgust. She fought back a whimper and found herself shrinking away from the two men, huddling behind Konohamaru, despite the fact that he was smaller than her. _Let you handle it?_ She thought, _No problem!_ Though she felt a pang of guilt from leaving this all up to her friend, she knew there wasn't much she could do in her current state of terror. It was all up to him.

Konohamaru remained calm and relaxed despite their situation. He knew he now had three responsibilities: stop one guy from going after him, stop the other guy from going after Sakura, and stop them both from getting anywhere near her. He had little time to think and less time to act. This was it!

The leader charged at the ninja, his lips still pulled back in that nasty smirk as he raised his fist to strike. He closed in on them fast, but Konohamaru was ready for him. Before he got too close, the small ninja blurred and disappeared, only to reappear directly behind the charging man. Without hesitation, he brought his kunai down on the man's head - he was going to win! Before the blade made contact, however, the scarred mugger – who so far had not yet moved - rushed forward at blinding speed and punched Konohamaru in the face, sending the boy flying off to the side and thereby rescuing his boss. The leader skidded to a stop, startled by the sudden commotion, and stared with disbelief at his opponent. Konohamaru slid to a stop on the ground nearby - he'd landed on his feet! He touched his sore cheek tenderly, still glaring at the two men.

"How did he move so fast?" The man with rotten teeth remarked, his mouth hanging open in amazement.

"Keep an eye on that one. He isn't normal." The scarred robber peered at the boy cautiously. He could tell there was something different about him. Sakura, too, was in awe at her companion's ability. Surely the Ninja Academy hadn't taught him that!

Before any more speculation could rise, Konohamaru blurred again, disappearing from sight. The muggers tensed, whipping their heads all around, unable to find him. Sakura was just as clueless. Where did he disappear to now?

Suddenly, Konohamaru reappeared behind the scarred man, kunai gripped tightly in both hands as he prepared to strike. But instead of attacking the scarred robber with both weapons, he changed the course of one blade and threw a kunai at the leader while at the same time still stabbing his other kunai down toward the scarred man's head. Everyone knew what would happen next. The scarred mugger saw what was happening, but had little choice; it was either protect his comrade or protect himself. He knew his friend was a poor fighter and would have little time to react. He ducked and turned, aiming an uppercut at the boy, who could do nothing but receive the blow just as his flying kunai closed in on the leader and hit it's target. Konohamaru went flying upwards from the uppercut, his head thrown back, while the leader crumpled to the ground, a kunai set deep in the center of his forehead. Gravity brought the smaller ninja back down, but he flipped in mid-air and landed evenly on his feet. The moment he did, he looked at his fallen enemy uneasily, disliking the sudden feeling of morbid disgust that clenched his stomach. He had just killed, for the first time...

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the fallen mugger, her expression one of shock. A fresh flow of crimson blood began to pour from the wound, trailing down the man's face and completely covering his forehead. He was dead. Konohamaru had just killed a man. But then again, she realized, he'd had little choice; it was kill or be killed, and her friend had chosen survival for them both. For that, she was eternally grateful.

The scarred man stared at the dead body with little feeling, knowing that it was pointless to mourn. He would feel sorry for his friend later; right now he had bigger things to worry about. He turned to face his enemy, but found that no one was there. Sakura blinked a few times, equally confused, and looked around for her lost comrade.

Konohamaru appeared behind the mugger, bringing his last kunai down in a ruthless stab, but his opponent ducked and turned again, grabbing the boy by the ankle tightly. He spun the young ninja around in a half circle and then released him, sending Konohamaru flying right into a tree trunk. This time he wasn't able to catch himself. His small body slammed into the solid wall of bark, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Konohamaru!" Sakura cried, a rising feeling of dread gripping her chest. She wanted to run toward him but her feet were glued to the ground. She had to do something! He was going to get himself killed!

The boy stirred and groaned, then slowly climbed to his feet, scowling at his enemy. His cheek and chin were bruising quickly and there was a small cut on his scalp. It was bleeding a little bit, but other than that, he was ultimately unharmed. This was going to be a tough fight.

Shaking in fear, Sakura clenched her fists and watched the scarred man cautiously. She had to help somehow. Swallowing, she set her gaze on her friend, who thankfully was still standing. "Konohamaru!" She called, "That won't work on him, he'll beat you to a pulp! You'll have to try something else!"

Konohamaru nodded, never taking his eyes off his opponent. This was his first real battle, and though he had trained long and hard on his own, he wasn't sure if he could handle this one. Still, he _did_ have that jutsu he'd been practicing... he'd never used it on a moving target, but he supposed it was now or never. "Hope you're ready," he said, smirking at the scarred man, "'Cause if you're not, too bad!" His opponent merely arched an eyebrow.

Planting his feet firmly to the ground, Konohamaru clasped his hands together and began forming various jutsu symbols, all of which his enemy was clueless of. Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the jutsu. Could it be? Had he already mastered two separate types of jutsu? Suddenly, the air around them picked up and a violent wind came crashing in on them from all directions. Sakura hugged herself as her hair and clothes whipped around her wildly, watching her friend in awe. The scarred man searched frantically for the source of the sudden change in weather, but found none, and so resorted to gaping at the young ninja.

Konohamaru's brow furrowed, sweat sliding down his forehead in concentration, and the very ground beneath them began to shake. Sakura looked on in complete shock as the ground beneath the boy suddenly jutted upward in a jagged pillar, lifting him five or six feet up above ground-level where he would be safe from danger. Several other pillars jutted upward out of the earth all around him, as if bending to his will and respecting his ability to harness such a power. Sharp spikes of rock began shooting up now in a wayward path, one after another, heading toward the mugger. The scarred man watched in pure terror, before finally willing himself to move. He abruptly turned and ran in the opposite direction, screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his arms in the air hysterically. Soon after, he disappeared down the path, leaving the two ninja at last.

Pleased with himself, Konohamaru released his jutsu and relaxed. The wind around them died down immediately, and the forest was calm once more. Sakura gaped at him, her mouth hanging open, as he leaped down from his perch, approaching her with a proud smile on his face.

"H-How?" She started, still staring at him in disbelief.

Konohamaru shrugged. "Practice makes perfect. Not all of us can be slackers like you!"

Sakura was too disoriented to catch his insult. He, a twelve-year-old boy, not only moved at the speed of an experienced ninja, but had also mastered _two_ kinds of jutsu? It was simply unbelievable! Had she really fallen so far from her talent that someone this small was far better than her in a fight? Had she failed this much as a ninja?

"Look," Konohamaru interrupted her thoughts, his voice suddenly laced with trembling, "I know you're scared, but.. can you bury him?"

Her emerald gaze met his, and she saw that he, too, suddenly had fear in his eyes. But it was fear of a different kind. She'd seen it only once before, long ago, when Naruto had made his first kill. It was the prospect of being a murderer, even if it was completely justifiable. And now Konohamaru had to deal with that prospect. He glanced at the dead body uneasily, then lowered his gaze.

Sakura forced herself to smile, swallowing back her fears, and gently ruffled his hair. Her fingers rested between his dark brown strands affectionately, hoping to comfort him. "It's kind of you to wish him peace after death."

Konohamaru lifted his eyes to look at her, his expression hopeful. "Yeah? Well, just... I mean, yah don't have to make him a marker or anything if yah don't want. I don't think he's Christian."

Despite their current situation, Sakura smiled at him fondly. "No, I don't think so. I'll bury him."

The boy nodded, stepping around her to slowly begin setting up camp. He was exhausted, and he needed time to think.

Sakura watched him as he stepped away, her arm falling from his head. Her expression was blank as she turned toward their fallen enemy to fulfill Konohamaru's request.


End file.
